Erika shows Ballarat's got talent

IF THE annual talent show, Ballarat’s Got Talent, was a question, it would have been answered with a resounding yes.

IF THE annual talent show, Ballarat’s Got Talent, was a question, it would have been answered with a resounding yes.

Ballarat’s Got Talent 2014 winner Erika Browne belts out Hallelujah.

Contestants in the singing competition came from all walks of life, competing in local and state-wide pools on Saturday at the Ballarat and District Trotting Club.

“We had nine-year-olds and we had a 71-year-old competing. It was fantastic,” said organiser and singing teacher Garry West.

First prize in the local competition, running for five years now, went to McCain’s lab assistant Erika Browne, who sang Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.

The 25-year-old, who is also studying nutrition and food science at Federation University, thanked her sister-in-law for getting her to enter the competition.

“It’s been a while since I sang in front of people. Working full-time and studying makes it hard to make time. My sister-in-law had to convince me to getting involved in this. It’s good she did,” Ms Browne said.

Mr West said 1500 people were watching the talent on show at times, and that it was the best standard he had ever seen in Ballarat.

“It was the best crowd and best ever quality we’ve ever had,” he said.

Celinne Torres from Melbourne won the state-wide competition, and local Kaitlyn Thomas took out the ‘Most Promising’ award.